Posts tagged crime

Photo courtesy of Thomas Gray

The answer is yes*. An asterisk because it’s safe if you come well prepared. If you believe the US State Department’s warnings about this country, you will be a bit discouraged, as they still warn Americans against traveling to Colombia, the US’ most important ally in South America. Other foreign affairs ministries of several developed countries also advise their citizens not to travel here.  At the other end of the spectrum is the travel guide books which mislead their readers by presenting the major attractions of the country without warning them of the risks they run in certain areas.

The truth is somewhere in between: traveling inside Colombia can be as safe as anywhere else in the world, but stray just a bit too much from the established path and you will be exposed to serious dangers.  For instance, it’s now possible to travel safely from the Caribbean coast to Medellin by road, but it’s ill advised to stop in some of the towns along the way. Two American backpackers traveling separately told me they had spent the night in Taraza, Antioquia on the way to Medellin from Cartagena. Both were a little surprised when I informed them that the north of Antioquia is still a very active zone for armed rebel groups, paramilitaries and organized criminals in the drug trade. Coca fields  are abundant and the murder rates in small towns like Taraza and Caucasia are shocking.

Large areas of the country are still in the throes of the war against the illegal drug trade and the heavily armed columns from the so-called liberation armies of the FARC and ELN, which often stage attacks on roads and against towns. This is particularly true in the provinces (departamentos) bordering Ecuador and Venezuela. Nariño, Putumayo, Choco, Valle, Cauca, Meta, Guaviare, Caqueta, and Arauca, make the headlines on a regular basis, as do some areas in several other provinces, such as the north and southeast of Antioquia, and the rural areas of Bolivar, Cesar, Guajira and Cordoba. However, in terms of cleansing the country of the illegal armed factions, the Colombian army has them running in almost very area, and has in fact routed them from several provinces, including Cundinamarca, Caldas and Risaralda. Overall, it’s a battle they are winning, and I hope the pressure will continue to be applied under whichever President is elected in May of 2010 to replace the outgoing Alvaro Uribe.

The US state department warns that kidnappings are a serious problem in Colombia, but I have not heard of any foreigners being targeted this way in a very long time. Sure, if you walk into an area controlled by rebels you could very well be captured and kept prisoner for several years, but the kidnapping of foreigners for ransom, as happens frequently in Mexico, is unheard of here, so my take is that the State Department needs to review its facts!

We have talked about where not to go, now let’s discuss where you can. Most of the major and intermediate cities of Colombia, including Bogota, Medellin, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Manizales, and Barranquilla are either very safe to visit, or at least nowhere as hazardous  as it is to stroll through Brazilian cities such as Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro.  Cali and Pereira are hotbeds for the drug organizations and also rife with petty crime. You might want to skip them on your itinerary!

As with most cities anywhere in the world, you can do the basic to mitigate your risk of being victimized: dress modestly, leave the baubles back home, do not dangle cameras around your neck, do not carry a lot of cash,  only use  ATMs inside malls, do not wander into neighborhoods you know nothing about, and avoid hailing taxis off the street. I’ve lived in Colombia for over two years now and although I stand-out like a sore thumb for being so tall and blond, I’ve yet to be victimized in any way by following those simple rules!

Yes, come to Colombia! It’s an incredibly beautiful land with a sophisticated culture, and best of all, it’s not polluted by throngs of tourists, so it’s still  very authentic, not “Disneyfied” as in so many other parts of the world, and the people are genuinely earnest in letting you see the good side of their much maligned country. Nothing bad will happen to you if you come here well informed.